Where does David Cowan work?

David Cowan is Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and Board director at Picogrid and Board director at Bastille Networks and Board director at Virtru.

What check size does David Cowan write?

David Cowan typically writes checks of $1M – $250M.

What boards does David Cowan sit on?

David Cowan holds tracked board seats at Auth0, VeriSign.

Where did David Cowan go to school?

David Cowan studied at Harvard University (AB, Computer Science and Mathematics); Harvard Business School (MBA).

What awards has David Cowan received?

Cowan's Wish I Knew podcast won the 2024 Webby Award for Best Business Podcast. Cowan received a 2026 Emmy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short as the producer of the film 'Heist.' Cowan's documentary Afghan Dreamers won the Best Human Rights Film Award at Galway Film Fleadh and other festival honors.

David Cowan

Investor

Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners · Board director at Picogrid · Board director at Bastille Networks · Board director at Virtru

Redwood City, California

Writes $1M – $250M checks · typically $25M

Midas 2018 · #49 Midas 2017 · #65 Midas 2015 · #73 Midas 2013 · #61 Midas 2012 · #69 Midas 2011 Midas 2009 Midas 2008 Midas 2007 Midas 2006 Midas 2005 Midas 2004 Midas 2002 Midas 2001

About

David Cowan blends investor and operator—co‑founding three cybersecurity companies from his firm's offices, including VeriSign where he was founding chairman and CFO—and pioneers proactive, research‑driven roadmaps into quantum and space.

Contact· self-published, not guessed

d•••@bvp.comreveal

Likely email· guessed from name + firm domain, not firm-published

d•••@bvp.comreveal100% confident

Invests in

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingConsumerCybersecurityFintechGamingHealthtechSaaSSpace Tech

Beyond investing

Founded: Cowan co-founded Verisign in 1995, serving as its initial chairman. Cowan co-founded the mobile email software platform Visto in 1996 and served as its initial CEO. Cowan co-founded DDoS-prevention firm Defense.Net in 2012. As a teenager, Cowan founded Data Route to sell magazine-labeling software to law and private libraries, and later sold it to Brad Feld.
Education: Studied at Harvard University (AB, Computer Science and Mathematics, 1988) Studied at Harvard University (MBA, 1992) Studied at Harvard Business School (MBA)
Boards: Cowan is a board member of the Center for Inquiry as of 2022. Cowan previously served as a Trustee of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science before it merged with the Center for Inquiry. Cowan serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian as of 2022.
Charities: Cowan founded the Afghan Rescue Fund, which helps relocate Afghan families imperiled by the Taliban regime, and has coordinated the rescue of hundreds of endangered Afghans.
Communities: Cowan supports scientific skepticism and the work of Richard Dawkins, and identifies as atheist.
Awards: Cowan's Wish I Knew podcast won the 2024 Webby Award for Best Business Podcast. Cowan received a 2026 Emmy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short as the producer of the film 'Heist.' Cowan's documentary Afghan Dreamers won the Best Human Rights Film Award at Galway Film Fleadh and other festival honors.
Hobbies: Cowan co-wrote and starred in the Silicon Valley mockumentary 'Bubbleproof' and produced the documentary Afghan Dreamers. Cowan hosts the Wish I Knew podcast, which shares life-changing moments experienced by founders and CEOs. Cowan wrote and directed the musical 'Lies in the Attic,' performed by the a cappella group Voices in Harmony in San Jose.
Family: Cowan is the brother of former New York Times reporter Alison Leigh Cowan.
More: Cowan was raised in New Rochelle, New York. Cowan's 2006 blog post questioning marketing claims about the supplement Airborne became the primary source for a Scientific American article that preceded an FTC settlement. Cowan holds several United States patents relating to consumer behavior and network security.

Mentioned above: the Harvard Business School mafia →

From published sources — common ground for a warm intro.

Board director at Picogrid

Intro paths

→

In turn, David can intro founders to Picogrid's investors below.

Picogrid's investors · 9

Alumni VenturesManchester · $100K – $10M checks · since 2026 Basecamp FundManchester · $100K – $10M checks Bessemer Venture PartnersRedwood City · $5M – $100M checks · since 2026 Credo VenturesPrague · $1M – $5M checks · since 2026 Department of EnergyWashington · since 2023 Giant Step CapitalChicago · since 2026 Initialized CapitalSan Francisco · $1M – $5M checks · since 2026 Starburst VenturesLos Angeles · since 2026 U.S. Air Forcesince 2021

Co-founders at Picogrid

Zane MountcastleExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter

Martin SlosarikExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter

Board director at Bastille Networks

Intro paths

→

In turn, David can intro founders to Bastille Networks's investors below.

Bastille Networks's investors · 3

Bessemer Venture PartnersRedwood City · $5M – $100M checks · since 2015 In-Q-TelTysons · $100K – $2.5M checks · since 2015 SQN Venture Partners, LLCCharleston · since 2015

Co-founders at Bastille Networks

Christopher RoulandExecutive Officer, Director

Board director at Virtru

Intro paths

→

In turn, David can intro founders to Virtru's investors below.

Virtru's investors · 8

Bessemer Venture PartnersRedwood City · $5M – $100M checks · since 2016 Blue Delta CapitalMcLean · $15M – $50M checks · since 2016 ICONIQSan Francisco · since 2016 ICONIQ CapitalSan Francisco · $5M – $100M checks · since 2016 ICONIQ GrowthSan Francisco · since 2016 New Enterprise Associates (NEA)Menlo Park · $200K – $40M checks · since 2016 Perot JainDallas · $500K checks · since 2016 Teamworthy VenturesNew York · since 2016

Co-founders at Virtru

William R. AckerlyExecutive Officer, Director

John M. AckerlyExecutive Officer, Director

John AckerlyCo-founder

Will AckerlyCo-founder

Experience

Bessemer Venture PartnersPartnercurrent1992 — presentRedwood City, California, United States
Rocket Lab USABoard Membercurrent2015 — presentAuckland, New Zealand
Pale Blue Dot FilmsEmmy-nominated Producer and Directorcurrent2016 — present
BubbleProofCo-writer, co-starcurrent2017 — present
Center for InquiryBoard Trusteecurrent2017 — presentWashington D.C. Metro Area
XanaduBoard Membercurrent2021 — presentToronto, Ontario, Canada
ClarotyBoard Membercurrent2016 — presentTel Aviv Area, Israel
Rigetti ComputingBoard Membercurrent2020 — presentBerkeley, California, United States
GetInsured.comBoard Membercurrent2007 — present
Auth0Board Member2014 — 2022Bellevue, WA
EndgameBoard Member2010 — 2022Herndon, Virginia
Voices in HarmonyPerforming Member2006 — 2018San Jose
NominumBoard Member2002 — 2017Redwood City, CA
LifeLockBoard Member2007 — 2017Tempe, AZ
Lies in the AtticDirector, Writer2016San Jose, CA
iSIGHT PartnersBoard Member2014 — 2015
Skybox ImagingBoard Member2010 — 2014
Defense.netBoard Member2012 — 2014San Carlos, CA
LinkedInBoard Observer2008 — 2011
PlaydomBoard Observer2009 — 2010
Good TechnologyCEO1996 — 1997Menlo Park, CA
VeriSignChairman, Co-Founder1995

Skills & more

Venture Capital44Business Strategy17Product Strategies3Board Governance14Cyber Security2Singing2Computer Security7Strategic Partnerships15Social Networking5Entrepreneurship10Start-ups21SaaS16

+3 more

Product ManagementStrategyCorporate Development

Languages French · Hebrew

From David's professional profile.

Deals · 3

VirtruLed round

via Bessemer Venture Partners · filed Aug 2016

press ↗

Distil NetworksLed round

via Bessemer Venture Partners · filed Jun 2015

press ↗

PicogridQuoted

via Bessemer Venture Partners · filed Apr 2026

press ↗

Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.

Other disclosed investments

Board seats

Auth0VeriSign

Investor

Anthropic Blue NileCienaDefense.netGood TechnologyLifelockLinkedInQualysRigettiRocket LabSkybox ImagingSpire GlobalTwilio Twitch VeriSign Zapier

Sources: curated public sources · the firm's website.

Colleagues at Bessemer Venture Partners

Adam Fisher

Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners

Aditya Nidmarti

Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners

Aia Sarycheva

Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners

Alex Ferrara

Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners

Alex Yuditski

Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners

Alexandra Sukin

Senior Associate at Bessemer Venture Partners

Amit Karp

Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners

Anant Vidur Puri

Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners

Network40

Aditya NidmartiScout

Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners

Aia SarychevaScout

Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners

Alex NiehenkeScout

Partner at Scale Venture Partners

Alex YuditskiScout

Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners

Amit KarpScout

Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners

Anant Vidur PuriScout

Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners

Andrew HedinScout

Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners

Andrew McLoughlinScout

Brit in San Francisco; seed-stage venture capital investor

Andrew SchmittScout

Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners

Anurag BegwaniScout

Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners

Aparna ChagantyScout

Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners

Ariel StermanScout

Vice President at Bessemer Venture Partners

▶28 more connections

Ben Donald · scout Bhavik Nagda · scout Bob Goodman · scout Brian Feinstein · scout Bryan Wu · scout Carine Magescas · scout Caty Rea · scout Charles Birnbaum · scout Chris Hollenbeck · scout Christopher Wan · scout Chuck Templeton · scout Daegwon Chae · scout Dan Ahn · scout Darsh Patel · scout Dhruv Jain · scout Dixon Doll · scout Elliott Robinson · scout Eric Kaplan · scout Fabio Lancellotti · scout Felda Hardymon · scout Garth Timoll · scout Gary Kremen · scout George Bischof · scout Jeff Epstein · scout Jeffrey Blackburn · scout Josh Hechtman · scout Tess Hatch · scout Thomas Korte · scout

Investors connected to David in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.

Frequently asked questions

Who is David Cowan?: David Cowan blends investor and operator—co‑founding three cybersecurity companies from his firm's offices, including VeriSign where he was founding chairman and CFO—and pioneers proactive, research‑driven roadmaps into quantum and space.
Where does David Cowan work?: David Cowan is Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and Board director at Picogrid and Board director at Bastille Networks and Board director at Virtru.
What does David Cowan invest in?: David Cowan invests in AI & Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Consumer, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Gaming, Healthtech, SaaS, Space Tech.
What check size does David Cowan write?: David Cowan typically writes checks of $1M – $250M.
What boards does David Cowan sit on?: David Cowan holds tracked board seats at Auth0, VeriSign.
What companies has David Cowan invested in?: Investments tracked here include Anthropic, Blue Nile, Ciena, Defense.net, Good Technology, Lifelock, LinkedIn, Qualys, Rigetti, Rocket Lab, Skybox Imaging, Spire Global, and 4 more.
Where did David Cowan go to school?: David Cowan studied at Harvard University (AB, Computer Science and Mathematics); Harvard Business School (MBA).
What awards has David Cowan received?: Cowan's Wish I Knew podcast won the 2024 Webby Award for Best Business Podcast. Cowan received a 2026 Emmy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short as the producer of the film 'Heist.' Cowan's documentary Afghan Dreamers won the Best Human Rights Film Award at Galway Film Fleadh and other festival honors.